Diversity and Characterization of Potential H2-Dependent Fe(III)-Reducing Bacteria in Paddy Soils

Microbial ferric iron reduction, with organic carbon or hydrogen as the electron donor, is one of the most important biogeochemical processes in anoxic paddy soils; however, the diversity and community structure of hydrogen-dependent dissimilatory iron-reducers remain unknown. Potential H-2-dependent Fe(III)-reducing bacteria in paddy soils were explored using enrichment cultures with ferrihydrite or goethite as the electron acceptor and hydrogen as the electron donor. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis and cloning/sequencing were conducted to reveal bacterial community structure. Results showed that Geobacter and Clostridium were the dominant bacteria in the enrichment cultures. Fe(111) oxide mineral phases showed a strong effect on the community structure; Geobacter and Clostridium were dominant in the ferrihydrite treatment, while Clostridium spp. were dominant in the goethite treatment. These suggested that H-2-dependent Fe(III)-reducing bacteria might be widely distributed in paddy soils and that besides Geobacter, Clostridium spp. might also be an important group of H-2-dependent Fe(III)-reducing microorganisms.